Woman sends adopted son back to Russia

Little boy in an orphanage in Ukraine

An American woman from Tennessee put her 7 year old adopted son on a plane and sent him back to Russia with a note that read: "I no longer want to parent this child, he is violent and has severe psychopathic issues/behaviours." Torry Ann Hansen adopted the boy from an orphanage in Siberia last year. This is the second time the child has been abandoned. He lived with his alcoholic mother until he was six years old and when it was discovered that she couldn't take proper care of him anymore, he was sent to an orphanage. After arriving in Moscow yesterday, he was taken to hospital for a check-up and will then be sent to another one.

Another part of the note read: To whom it may concern, after giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the sake of my family, friends and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child. He is a Russian national and I am returning him to your guardianship and would like the adoption disannulled".

Russia wants to draw up a new agreement between the two countries before any more adoptions are organised. John Beyrle, the US Ambassor to Russia said he was "deeply shocked and very angry that any family would act so callously towards a child they had legally adopted".

The Russians are furious and said this is the last straw after a series of Russian orphans had been mistreated by their adoptive American parents. Peggy Sue Hilt of Manassas was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2006 after beating a 2 year old girl to death after adopting her from Siberia. In 2008, Kimberly Emelyantsev of Tooele, Utah was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to killing a Russian infant in her care.

But a Russian Social Service official didn't agree with Hanson and said the boy was only a "little stubborn" and the only disability he had was flat feet. They also said that his new mother was bad and didn't love him and used to pull his hair.

But there's always another side to the story. Hanson, a 34 year old nurse said that Russian officials knew he was mentally unstable and deliberately didn't tell her in order to get him out of the orphanage. American authorities now say there should be more information available to potential adoptive parents. Joyce Sterkel is the Director of the Ranch for Kids, a Montana facility that caters to troubled Russian adoptees. She's taken in hundreds of Russian adopted children with severe fetal alcohol syndrome and attachment disorders. "Let's stop demonizing this mother, these kids are really sick and there's no magic number you can call for cases like this" she said.